Marriage and Love
by Senile-felineS
Summary: They may go together like a horse and carriage, but sometimes the old song gets the order wrong. Kyou/Haru complete
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is an idea that has been festering in my head for a while. I have written the entire story already, so hopefully I will have a fairly regular update schedule. I know that arranged marriage is a really common trope for the Kyouya/Haruhi pairing, but it is something I have been wanting to play with. I hope you enjoy it and please review, all reviewers will get a PM with a sneak peek at the next chapter.**

"You may now kiss the bride."

The words of the priest were nearly drowned out by the applause, the cheers and the clicking of cameras. A society wedding was always a major event, and an Ootori wedding was the epitome of such. It seemed like every paper in Japan had sent a photographer. But what did the flashing images see?

The best man, his usual charming grin edged with the bitterness of an unacknowledged failure, a chance noticed too late. The twins holding one another in the close comfort of a shared world. Huni and Usa-chan in identical suits. Mori watching over them all with a gently blank expression.

And Kyouya, no longer a high school student but forever the Shadow King, adorned in a tailored suit and a smile to match as he lifted the veil and gave his new wife a kiss for the cameras.

And what of the bride? Haruhi Ootori, one time Fujioka. What were her feelings on the matter?

Ah, that was something that the cameras would be able to see.

 _Six months ago_

 _"Haruhi, baby, don't worry about the dishes right now. Come sit over here. There is something I want to talk to you about._

 _Haruhi looked up from where she was gathering the bowls, surprised by her usually jovial father's suddenly serious tone. She put the stack down and asked "what is it?" her tone careful._

 _Ranka found his courage deserting him. As much as he thought this was a good idea, it was simply not something he knew how to bring up now that the moment was upon him. "Well you see, I got a rather interesting phone call last week…"_

 _"Was it from the university? Did I get the scholarship? Dad, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Haruhi might have descended into a fit of babbling, but Ranka interrupted her._

 _"No honey, it wasn't from the university." He felt bad when her face fell, but her questions gave him the idea for a segue. "Don't be sad baby. What if I were to tell you that there was a way for you to go to any university you wanted without having to worry about fees?"_

 _Her face was blank with disbelief. "Have you gone insane?"_

 _"No!" Ranka looked aghast._

 _"You robbed a bank then." Haruhi sounded completely serious as if she was talking about something commonplace._

 _"How could my cute daughter think such horrible things about her own father?" Ranka said between stage sobs._

 _"Cut that out and get to the point," Haruhi said, more sharply than she had intended._

 _"Oh yes right. The point." The tears stopped immediately. "Well, the phone call was from Yoshio Ootori."_

 _"Kyouya-sempai's father? What on earth did he want?" Haruhi had had next to no dealings with the man, but she knew enough not to trust a word that he said._

 _"He had a proposal, you see. He… wantsyoutomarrykyouya." He rushed through the words, putting his hands up instinctively to shield his face and hoping she wouldn't be mad enough to kill him. He still had so much to live for._

 _"WHAT?!"_

 _End flashback_

It had taken a long time for Haruhi to be convinced that this was the best option for her. She had gone through all the stages: depression, bargaining, anger, more depression, denial, even more depression and finally, after much soul searching, acceptance.

That is not to say that she was happy about the situation, in fact she was downright pissed off at times. She felt like no one spared a thought as to what it was that she was giving up. They were caught up in their multifarious responses, from shock (the customers of the host club) or anger (Tamaki, though she didn't try to understand why) to untainted joy (Huni and her father). They all seemed self-absorbed, wilfully ignorant of the struggle that she had gone through. Unaware of her grief.

She was doing the one thing that she had always hoped would not be required of her to achieve her dreams.

She was trading her freedom for a future, happiness for financial security.

 **A/N: Yes, I know that chapter was short, but I am trying something different. Rather than agonising over whether a chapter is long enough, I am just going to write them and let the events dictate how long the chapter needs to be. That way the chapters, though shorter, will be easier to write.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to my lovely reviewers for liking the last chapter. Remember, if you review, you will get a sneak peek at Chapter three. I wanted to have this chapter up on Wednesday and the other out tomorrow but some twit cut the phone lines in my suburb and we have been without internet since Wednesday. It is finally back up and I was just itching to get this out, so here it is. The next chapter will come out next Wednesday as planned.**

 **Disclaimer: I realise that I didn't do this for chapter one. Hopefully any lawyer types out there will get this far to hear me say that I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.**

 **This chapter is dedicated to Hobo Ghost. Because I only saw that they had reviewed chapter one when I was about to upload this. This means that the sneak peek would be pointless. So I hope this makes it up to you Hobo Ghost. Cool name, btw.**

Kyouya's response, when he was told the news, was rather different. There were no requests, no begging on his father's part. It was a command. His only response was to push his glasses up and say "I see."

He came from a very different world than Haruhi. He had never expected the chance to follow his own desires in this matter. His brothers and sister before him had entered arranged marriages. They none of them had the luxury of a heart.

It was the paradox of wealth. You could have anything you wanted, except for the one thing that every commoner took for granted.

Perhaps he was even a little grateful. At least he knew his planned spouse before the fact. He could have been saddled with one of those spoilt, stupid heiresses that populated the marriage market.

* * *

It did not take long for him to discover that he had a difficult task ahead of him. Trying to court a recalcitrant Haruhi was not a job for a lesser man. Just because she had agreed did not meant that she was happy about it.

When he told her that the date was set for after her graduation from high school, she just said "That's nice" and hung up on him. He asked her out to dinner and she claimed the need to finish homework, or study for a test, or wash her hair. When he offered her a ring she snapped the box shut, barely missing his fingers.

"Look Kyouya-senpai," she still insisted on calling him that, "let's not pretend that this is real. I know that you had no choice in the matter and you know that I am only doing this to pay for college."

Kyouya should have expected her bluntness by now, but he was still taken aback. She may be a senior, but she had still not learned how to prevaricate.

* * *

For probably the first time in his life Kyouya almost wished that he was not so very good at masks and secrets. If he were more open (more like Tamaki, a treacherous part of his mind dared to suggest) he might have been able to find the strength to tell her the whole truth.

She had been right when she said that this was not his choice, but that was as far as her insight penetrated. If she thought that this was purely a business arrangement, she had much yet to learn. He was not in love, far from it, but he found her… refreshing was probably the right word.

* * *

Despite having made peace with her decision; Haruhi found it nearly impossible to feel excited about any of it.

Especially the planning part. Seriously, how any self-respecting woman could spend hours debating the virtues of pearl versus ivory white for save the date cards was frankly beyond her.

She simply handed everything over to Ranka. Tuning him out whenever he tried to involve her. Eventually he gave up and made all the arrangements with the high-end events planner that had handled all the weddings of this Ootori generation.

* * *

It had paid off. The wedding and the reception were both a sight to behold. The whole effect was one of understated elegance. The type that can only be achieved by spending a great deal of money.

The guests were taken in by the fantasy of it all. After all the wedding party were all former hosts, well-practiced at the art of creating charming tableaux.

Kyouya seemed attentive and affectionate the entire day and Haruhi had too much self-respect to let anyone see just how little she cared.

 **A/N: One of my reviewers wanted to know how Kyouya reacted to everything. Hopefully this chapter gives you some insight into the feelings of our favourite Shadow King. Till Wednesday! Remember, I love ya' guys.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, I have the next chapter out exactly when I promised I would. Yay me. And yay to all my reviewers and readers. You guys are great. Especially my reviewers, when I see a new review it makes me feel all warm and gushy inside because I know that you liked my story enough to leave me a review.**

 **Disclaimer: Much to my sadness and chagrin, I still do not own Ouran High School Host Club. I couldn't even convince Kyouya that I owned him, and I did try, although I suppose that was hardly to be wondered at.**

As generally happens, the bride and groom left the reception before it had come to an end. As soon as the limousine pulled away Haruhi yanked off the stilettos that the twins had forced her into and chucked them as far as she could within the confined space.

"Seriously, damn whoever invented those things!"

She sounded so petulant that Kyouya had to smile, but he kept his voice dry as he replied "they make your legs look so good though."

The nerves finally caught up with Haruhi and she packed out laughing. "I never would have pegged you as such a perve Kyouya-senpai."

She was practically doubled over with laughter but it abruptly died to silence when she felt a hand on her cheek applying a minute but irresistible pressure. Following it, she came face to face with her new husband. The proximity of his face meant that there was no glare on his glasses to separate them and she could see his eyes clearly.

Too clearly.

They looked like molten steel and there was something that she couldn't identify smouldering in their depths. "Please, _don't_ call me that."

The last time she had seen him look like this had been the night at the beach house. He looked intense and a little dangerous. "I'm sorry – Kyouya-sen… Kyouya." she replied in a small voice.

Kyouya could read her face clearly. There was fear there, but also something else. Unless he was very much mistaken, which was unlikely, it was curiosity. Then she licked her lips, it was an innocent action but it affected him in ways that she was not ready to feel the brunt of. He was forced to look away, clearing his throat to bring back some semblance of normality. "Thank you." His voice was soft but too husky for his liking.

He swallowed drily, past the lump that had formed in his throat. "We'll be at the airport soon, in case you are curious." His tone was one of business. He liked business. Business was comparatively safe.

Once Haruhi had started thinking about the beach house, other thought naturally came unbidden to her mind. She knew what that had been. He was teaching her a lesson. But it was also the first time, not counting her father, that a man had been so close to her physically. The first time sensation had overcome her sense. She had often since wondered, if she had said nothing, if she had just gone with it, what might have happened that night. She habitually caught those thoughts before they ran away with her.

* * *

When they arrived at the airport Haruhi was at a loss. All Kyouya had told her of their honeymoon destination was that it had a beach but she didn't know more than that. She looked at him questioningly and he gave his trademark smirk. "This way." He placed a hand on her shoulder and directed her to the domestic gates.

She was a little surprised, she would have thought him to prefer more exotic locales. Maybe he was less of a snob than she had assumed. No, scratch that she decided as they approached a small gate with no queue and were greeted with "Good afternoon Ootori-sama, the jet is ready."

"Rich bastard" she muttered.

Kyouya heard her anyway, "I'd find a new insult if I were you. After all, you're one of us now."

She paused, considered what he had said, and then responded with "smug bastard."

He grinned wider, "save the sweet talk for later dearest." Her voice practically oozed sarcasm.

* * *

Haruhi's eyes widened when she stepped into the interior of the jet. As someone whose only experience was with commercial planes; she had never expected that they could be so opulent. Or so empty.

It didn't even look like a real plane interior. It looked more like a living room, with leather chairs all arranged around a central area and large screened TV's on the front and back walls.

Kyouya coughed lightly, bringing her back from her thoughts and reminding her that he was still standing outside. She jumped and moved to the side, stuttering an apology.

"Don't worry about it," he replied smoothly, moving past her to sit in one of the chairs. He sensed that her awe was keeping her from moving so he patted then seat next to him. "It's quite alright, I won't bite you." He sounded completely serious, although his gravitas was disrupted slightly by his faint smile. Wordlessly she took the suggestion, perching herself right at the edge, her back ramrod straight.

"Relax," he said, leaning back and taking out his laptop. He set it up on his knees, booted it up and immediately started typing at an incredible pace.

He didn't even look up when the smartly dressed stewardess addressed them. "Good afternoon Ootori-sama. We are taking of shortly and will be arriving in about an hour. I have taken the liberty of checking and there is fine weather expected in Osaka."

Haruhi said nothing. Osaka? They were going to Osaka? Why would Kyouya choose something so conventional? And, more importantly, wasn't the bullet train a far more sensible way to get there?

 **A/N: So, the wedding ends and the honeymoon begins, you will have to wait till Sunday to see what comes next. But you love me anyway right? Or at least you love my story, I hope. If you love it, or even like it, please hit that review button. Remember that you will get a sneak peek at chapter four if you do.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So, several reviewers have expressed curiosity about the honeymoon proper... This is where we begin to get into that. I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter, they are both just so very awkward. I hope you enjoy reading it as much.**

 **Disclaimer: It's always more fun to play with someone else's toys, don't you think?**

It was a 'speak of the devil' moment when Haruhi was handed out of the limo by the chauffer. Or perhaps think of the beach house was a more accurate phrase, for that was where they were. She moved to the boot where their luggage was stored but was beaten there by Tachibana. He smiled at her. "Do not worry about it Ootori-sama, I will bring the bags up."

"Oh," Haruhi stood there, not really knowing what to do with herself until Kyouya cleared his throat.

"This way." His voice was as expressionless as his face as he led a silent Haruhi to the best bedroom that the house had to offer. Haruhi's eyes widened at the sheer size of it. This one room was probably half the size of her entire apartment.

A rather sad idea followed. It wasn't her apartment anymore was it? It was her father's apartment only now. This wedding had cost her that too. There was a shuffling behind her as Kyouya pulled out his laptop and set it up on a writing desk. "Why don't you go down to the beach? I have some work to take care of but I will join you when it is done. He sat and opened the document that needed his attention.

Haruhi dug through the suitcase that Tachibana had silently deposited and retrieved the bathing suit that Kaoru had insisted on giving her. It was a girlish two-piece, white with an abstract pattern in pale blue and a little frilly skirt around the bottoms.

* * *

Haruhi had been very uncomfortable walking through the house so scantily clad, but it faded once she set foot on the sand of the private beach. She took a moment to breathe deeply and simply relax; squidging her toes into the sand and looking out over the sparkling waves.

The sky was completely cloudless and the sea reflected it, the colour a bright blue that was almost blinding and seemed to go on forever.

She took another deep breath, let it out slowly and then padded over to the tide-line. She plumped down, letting the edge of the waves wash over her feet. She watched the sun as it sunk towards the horizon and for the first time in this mad whirl of a day she allowed herself to think.

She was scared. Having never been with a man before she had no more than an academic knowledge of how sex worked. She clenched up with nerves at the mere thought of it. Things would have been better if she had a mother, an aunt, even a grandmother would do. Someone to whom she could take her questions.

But she had no such things so she had to work with what she did have, which was high school biology, snippets of overheard conversation and a pamphlet on safe sex she had picked up from the gynaecologists office.

In her usual pragmatic way she had tried to prepare for tonight by touching herself. As a result she was curious as well as scared. Curious as to whether it would feel the same way, scared that it wouldn't.

* * *

By the time that Kyouya kept his promise, the last rays of the sunset were just visible over the ocean. Had it not been urgent he would have left his work for another time.

Haruhi looked miniscule, sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees against the darkening backdrop. He sat down next to her, stretching out the tired and stiff muscles in his neck and back before speaking. "It is beautiful out here, is it not?"

She had started and stiffened slightly at his approach, but she huffed a laugh at his words. She had not been expecting small talk. Maybe he was as nervous as she was. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing Kyouya-s – Kyouya," she caught herself just in time. "This is just not what I expected."

He was surprised, but did not show it. "What part."

"Any of it."? She chuckled laughing again. She was doing that more today than she ever had before.

A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth and he placed an arm around her shaking shoulders, pulling her slightly closer. "You should know by now Haruhi, I am full of surprises."

She smiled at him, this slight show of camaraderie dispelling a little of her tension. "Still the Shadow King huh?"

His smile grew wider, He had known that the twins called him that, he didn't know that Haruhi did too. "Always and forever."

* * *

It wasn't until the sun had set completely and Kyouya suggested that the bead inside that the nervousness came crashing back down on them both.

They had eaten dinner at a small table on the balcony, saying as little as courtesy would allow. Both were engaged with thought of what was to come. When everything had been cleared and the maid dismissed, Kyouya stood from the table and lifted Haruhi by the hand.

She looked anxious again so he rubbed little circles on the back of her hand with his thumb in the hope of soothing her. "Why don't you take a shower, it's been a long day."

She glanced up at him through her eyelashes, their proximity making her eyes look coy and smouldering, and whispered "would you like to join me?"

He had not expected her to be so bold. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and shook his head. He knew that his voice would crack if he spoke and he knew that if he went with her suggestion he would stand no chance of lasting the way he hoped to.

* * *

As soon as Haruhi was occupied, Kyouya removed his shirt and tie and took a moment to compose himself. He knew from Fuyumi that if he was nervous it would make things a lot more awkward.

That wasn't the only thing his sister had tried to tell him, but he did his best to forget the majority of that conversation. He did not want to know what she and Shido did in private. His sanity could not survive that.

Instead he had turned to Tamaki, which was less embarrassing if only by a little. His best friend may be an idiot at times, but he was a romantic idiot who had been in a relationship since orientation week. This meant that he was a lot more experienced when it came to matter of… sex.

His advice had been to relax and take his time. Not to treat it like a race.

* * *

After the shower Haruhi stood in front of the mirror, drying her hair and psyching herself up. Perhaps it was the anticipation, but her stomach was clenching. Her earlier bravado had been spur of the moment. Her braveness had faded quickly. She took several deep breaths, judging that she could not delay much longer and slipped into the little white satin negligée that her father had presented her with a wink (it was no less embarrassing in memory than it had been at the time). It was skimpy, barely covering what was necessary.

She took one more breath and left the bathroom. Once in the bedroom her eyes gravitated to Kyouya. He was reclining on the bed with one arm propped under his head. He would have looked relaxed except that his hair was uncharacteristically mussed, as if he had run his hand through it more than once.

He sat up and held his hands out, inviting her to join him. He was bare chested. Haruhi swallowed as she watched the pleasant sight of lithe muscles shifting with each movement.

Kyouya was admiring his own view. He had no idea where Haruhi had acquired the thing she was wearing, but it seemed to be made primarily of frothy white lace. He could be fairly sure that no warm blooded man would be able to resist such a sight.

He guided her so that she was sitting in front of him. He began rubbing her shoulders, kneading out the tightness that he could feel there.

He bent forward and placed his cheek against her neck, just savouring the softness of the skin there. "Just relax," he whispered, "I'll be gentle." She shivered a little at the sensation of warm breath against her overly sensitive skin.

His hands left her shoulders and brushed down her sides with the lightest of touches. Kyouya was making use of all of his formidable self-control to take things as slowly as he was. Haruhi felt herself giving way, melting under such careful attention.

 **A/N: So, I'm just going to leave it there until next Wednesday. I hope to see you all back then. But if you feel you can't wait that long and you want a sneak peak at chapter 5, drop me a review. I love reviews.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here be the next update, as promised. I really hope you guys enjoy. This chapter is a little on the short side, but really it is more of a conclusion to this mini-arc and an interlude into the next part. But I would still recommend reading because this isn't filler.**

 **And a lot of people have asked for lemons/limes etc. I am sorry to say that that is not the direction I have chosen to go with this story. But if I get inspired I might write a limey one-shot in the same universe. I'll see what I can do.  
**

 **Disclaimer: It's on my Christmas list, but I'm not holding my breath that I actually get OHSHC ownership rights.**

Wonder of wonders, the first person to wake up the next morning was Kyouya. Not that it was an easy awakening. He felt bleary and, in the time it took for his mind to catch up with the situation (read: locate his glasses and put them on), he was confused as to his whereabouts.

He stretched his arms above his head but felt a weight on his chest that impeded his movement. Angling his chin down, he saw that it was Haruhi, slumped across him. She had gone to sleep next to him so she must have been drawn to him in the night. She looked peaceful, despite the slight frown that hovered across her brow and over her lips. He allowed a hand to rest gently across her naked shoulder and closed his eyes with a deep contented sigh.

* * *

The sunlight crept slowly across the floor and up onto the duvet. It was this that woke Haruhi. She yawned and stretched slightly, shifting out from under Kyouya's arm to sit up.

Everything looked so very… normal. She had expected there to be a difference. Something, anything to reflect the changes in herself. But not so. All she felt was slightly uncomfortable (although not as sore as she had expected) and, to be honest, a little sticky. The night before had been, well not what she had hoped, but not as bad as it could have been either. Sure he had gone to sleep sooner than she would have liked, but at least he took care not to hurt her.

In short, he had tried.

It was hardly surprising that Kyouya was still asleep; although his glasses were on, which she found strange. She reached over and lifted them off his face, folding them and placing them on the bedside table.

* * *

After only a few minutes of lying there Haruhi was already bored. With a mind towards breakfast she extricated herself from the tangle of arms, legs and blanket. She was halfway out of the room when she realised that she was naked and needed a shower.

She was doubly thankful that, with her usual stubbornness, she had insisted on packing her own suitcase. Only God knew what her father would have deemed to be suitable attire. She selected capris and a comfortably oversized t-shirt to wear.

Wearing her own familiar clothes rather than the dress of yesterday (a Hitachin original, not that she cared) gave her a little more confidence as she set off in search of the kitchen.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Haruhi was again facing the doors that led down to the beach. At this point she was forced to admit that she was well and truly lost. The clocks and her stomach both informed her that it was after ten.

* * *

Kyouya meanwhile was in the middle of his own, much more logical, search. Having woken again to an empty bed and no sound from the bathroom he concluded that Haruhi must have gone exploring. He knew that this would not end well. The house was built on an old design, with spreading galleries and large rooms. To the unfamiliar it was a maze.

Eventually he found her sitting forlornly at the edge of a koi pond in a traditional garden set between two of the wings. It had been his mother's favourite place. She was dropping pebbles in the water.

He sat next to her, his long legs folding almost to his neck. "Good morning."

"I'm hungry," was her only response.

"That's a nice greeting." She was still so blunt.

She looked at him squarely. "What did you expect? 'Oh Kyouya my love, I am simply _famished_.' You should know better."

He started laughing, deep guffaws of the sort few would expect him capable. It took nearly two minutes and a surprisingly hard punch in the arm before he could stop. "Do you want me to show you to the dining room? Or do you want to keep hitting me?"

"I'm torn."

"Careful sweetheart, or I'll have you up on battery charges." He pulled her to standing with him and led her out of the garden.

It was lost on Haruhi that he did not let go of her hand.

 **A/N: Do you see where I am going with this? If you have a suspicion, tell me what it is in a review. All those who get it right will be announced on Sunday when the next chapter comes up. And as always, all reviewers will get a sneak peek at the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it. I had a lot of fun writing this one. Sorry for the late update, life has been giving me a bit of trouble.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC, but I do own my OC who gets introduced in this chapter**

Living the way that they did, Haruhi quickly became pregnant. She had never planned on being a mother so young. But then she had never planned on an arranged marriage when she was eighteen either and look how that turned out. Life was just _full_ of surprises.

One of them was that despite her age, despite her not loving Kyouya, despite the numerous reasons her logical side could come up with, she was excited. It was an opportunity to become a mother like her own had been.

She was less happy when Kyouya, with his usual practicality, suggested putting off her studies until the following year. His reason was infallible. If she started at university this year she would be uncomfortable and lose too much time to the requirements of pregnancy. And so it was, with very few grumbles (for her) that she settled down to self-study.

It was hardly surprising to anyone that she sailed through.

* * *

Because of her tiny frame, Haruhi began to show noticeable by the fourth month of her pregnancy. Ranka was ecstatic to be having a grandbaby. Haruhi was less pleased to have it pressing on her bladder.

Pregnancy did not agree with her very much. Her face and ankles swelled up, her back hurt like hell, and she developed strange cravings like fries dipped in ice cream and uncooked liver.

* * *

For some ungodly reason she decided on natural birth, no anaesthetic of anything. She was regretting that decision now.

"Breathe, Mrs Ootori, breathe. You're at eight centimetres. We can see the head. Don't push till I tell you." The doctor was reassuring but Haruhi just wanted it over with already. It was taking far too long and she was very tired.

Kyouya had insisted that Haruhi relax as her due date got closer. The best way he could think doing that was to keep her confined to the best hospital his family owned from the beginning of month eight. Oh, it was very comfortable. The nurses were professional and attentive and Kyouya visited her as often as his studies allowed. But for someone as independent as Haruhi, being treated as fragile grew old _very_ fast.

"Breath like you are blowing out birthday candles. Puff puff." This was the nurse who had not left her side for the last 9 hours. She had stayed there feeding Haruhi ice chips and wiping sweat from her face.

"Is Kyouya here yet?" Haruhi asked between gasps. She was not really aware, through all the pain, how frequently she had asked that question. And received the same answer too.

"Not yet Mrs Ootori, but he has been called and I am sure he will be here soon."

It was lucky for Kyouya, who was finishing an assignment in the university café and still had his phone turned off from morning lectures, that Haruhi had lost all concept of time. Otherwise he would be dead meat very soon.

When he turned his phone back on and saw over twenty missed calls from the hospital, he felt a moment of panic. He called the receptionist desk and had to sit through the most agonising minute of his short life before the receptionist picked up.

"Good morning, you've reached…" Her voice was pleasant and well trained but Kyouya cut through the niceties.

"Kyouya Ootori here. Is my wife alright?" The was an edge to his voice.

She stayed calm and soothing as she replied. "Your wife is fine Ootori-sama. Her water broke at 2:17 am"

"Thank you for telling me" Kyouya hung up and then stared at his phone in shock before what was happening sunk in. Oh shit oh shit oh shit was all he could think as he packed up his stuff with trembling fingers.

He walked blindly to his car, threw his bag in without his usual care, climbed in and started the engine. All the way to the hospital he beat himself up. How could he have been so careless? He should have checked in first thing in the morning. But he was grouchy at having to attend an 8 am lecture and had gotten carried away with his work.

He ran several red lights on his way to the hospital and narrowly missed a collision as he took a corner like he was on rails. He flung himself into a parking bay and dashed to the hospital, almost forgetting to lock his car. The shadow king, the cool type, was understandably a little frantic.

* * *

"Push, Mrs Ootori, I need you to give me one last push." The doctor seemed unflappable as Haruhi screamed and swore.

Despite the pain, which the last hours had not prepared her for, Haruhi's whole body felt alive from the hormone high she was riding. She bore down, pushing as hard as she could. There was a feeling like a cork bursting inside of her, a small tear of pain and a slide.

And then it was all over. She fell back against the pillows with a sigh. She felt sticky and empty, detached from everything as the doctor and nurse busied themselves below her.

The doctor smiled up at her. "Congratulations Mrs Ootori, you have a little girl." Haruhi had been drowsing but she perked up at that.

"Can I see her?"

"In a moment." said the nurse.

And then the tiny, white-wrapped bundle was placed in her arms. It was soft and a little squishy where she poked its cheek gently. Its head was funny shaped and it had its eyes screwed shut, but she could see a fine dusting of black hair on its head and trailing down its neck. When she tried to unwrap it the baby began to cry in a scrawly fashion. Almost instinctively she placed it up to her chest. And then her shock fell away from her. This was it. This was her baby girl.

In a scene right out of the movies, Kyouya burst in at that moment. Haruhi levelled a glare at him over the head of their child.

"I missed it all, didn't I?"

"Yes you did you bastard." She didn't really mean the insult but she hadn't gotten to call him that once during the delivery. Well, not to his face anyway.

"I'm in trouble aren't I?"

"You have _no_ idea."

* * *

After another week at the hospital, Kyouya and Haruhi brought baby Machiko back to their penthouse apartment. No amount of fawning and gifts had been able to save Kyouya from his punishment for missing the birth, which was to be on nappy-changing duty every night until Haruhi decided otherwise. He was not happy about this but he took it like a man.

Fuyumi must have let slip about when they were expected back because over the course of what they had been hoping would be a quiet evening at home every member of the old host club turned up. And they all brought gifts.

Tamaki was the first. He brought a tiara with what looked like real diamonds for 'the first little princess to arrive.' He did not swing Haruhi around this time, probably because she was holding the baby.

When she left the room for a feeding, Tamaki turned on Kyouya and gave him the third degree. He wanted to know why he hadn't been told that 'his daughter' was in labour (Kyouya just shrugged) and asked all manner of personal questions about the delivery. He called Kyouya 'old dog' instead of mon ami but the jocular meaning was lost in translation.

Haruhi heard a lot of noise while she was trying to feed Machiko. She guessed by the voices that the twins had made their arrival. She also thought that she could hear her father. She sighed as she put the baby in her crib.

As she stepped out into the living room she said, in a clear voice, "With you all shut it? I have just put her down for a nap." She didn't really feel ready for all of this nonsense, she was still a bit sore from giving birth. Not to mention she was still bleeding.

It didn't help that the twins each grabbed her by an arm and began babbling over one another about a new line of baby clothes. Apparently they had brought samples, which explained the six cardboard boxes now littering the room.

It was Ranka who saved her by pulling them off and presenting Haruhi with his own modest gift. "I am so proud of you baby." he said as she unwrapped a baby blanket, a little faded and worn around the edges, that she vaguely remembered having belonged to her.

"Thanks Dad," she said as she choked up a little.

The sweet father daughter moment was interrupted by a knock on the door, Haruhi sighed.

Kyouya opened the door on Fuyumi, Huni and Mori. "We all met in the lobby," Fuyumi said as she stretched up to brush a kiss against Kyouya's cheek, "so we decided to come up together.

Mori stood back as usual but Huni had already bounded up to Haruhi and held out a package. "Here Haru-chan. Open it open it." With an indulgent smile she undid the paper and pulled out a pink, stuffed rabbit doll.

"You can't be serious."

"It's not my one. A new baby deserves a new Usa-chan, so I had a toy maker copy mine exactly." The once-loli beamed his brightest smile.

Mori walked up behind his cousin and wordlessly handed her a jeweller's case. Inside was a silver baby bangle with the kanji for shadow and light, how they had decided to spell Machiko's name, on the one side and her name in romanji on the other. "This is beautiful Mori, how did you know her name?" She was a little teary again, she blamed hormones.

"Kyouya sent a message."

"That sounds about right." She should have known that he would do something like that. Let his best friends know via email or sms.

While all of this was going on Kyouya and Fuyumi were sitting on the couch talking quietly. Kyouya had already opened, and rolled his eyes at, her gift. Six pairs of badly knitted yellow booties. "I presume, nee-san, that this was all your idea."

"Well no… not entirely." she sounded defensive.

"You and Tamaki were co-conspirators then?" he smirked.

"You got me," she raised her hands in defeat, "I thought there should be something small, with just friends, before the big event that you _know_ Otou-sama will put on."

"Fair point." Kyouya let his head drop back against the couch cushions. It had been quite a week.

The doorbell rang again; everyone looked up. Who could it possibly be this time? Everybody that is except Huni who jumped from where he was sitting and squealed 'it's here!"

'It' turned out to be a bright pink christening cake.

* * *

As Fuyumi had predicted there was a formal welcoming party organised by a catering firm hired by Kyouya's father. It was a tricky sort of affair. One-month-old Machiko cried a number of times as the night wore on and she was passed from person to person. It was noisy as many people squealed over the tininess of her.

It was very late by the time they were able to make their excuses and take the baby home to bed.

Even Kyouya fell asleep almost immediately.

Only to be woken at three for nappy-changing duty.

 **A/N: So, what did you think? Remember that all reviews get a sneak peek. See you on Wednesday**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: And here we see them as parents.**

 **Disclaimer: If I wrote OHSHC, Kyouya would not be a character included on sufferance. And Haruhi would not have ended up with Tamaki.**

The next challenge came as the end of summer approached. Haruhi was still determined to go to university and become a lawyer and she obviously couldn't do that with a baby strapped to her chest.

Kyouya suggested a nanny, but Haruhi was unsatisfied with everyone that they interviewed. Kyouya accused her of self-sabotage. They had quite an argument over that and she wouldn't talk to him until Fuyumi got sick of it and intervened.

Her intervention consisted of offering to take care of Machiko herself during the day. Since she had successfully cared for a couple of her own infants already, this was not something that Haruhi could reasonably disagree with.

And so it was with a wrench that Haruhi left Machiko in the care of Fuyumi before going to her first day of orientation.

* * *

Haruhi easily made it to the top of her class once lectures started. What with her having covered all of the first year, and half of the second year, material while she was pregnant. Kyouya was already in the third year of a business degree so he and Haruhi saw little of each other during the day. They couldn't even have lunch together. It was only during the evening, when they were studying together, that they really had any quality time.

The other time that they both began to enjoy was Sunday afternoons. This was when Kyouya insisted that they both put their books away and go on some sort of outing. This was when he learned the simple joy of commoner parks.

* * *

When Machiko was two-years-old and walking and could already say over 400 words, that was when Kyouya graduated. His father, or more specifically the catering firm, threw a huge party at which everyone who was anyone was present. Kyouya's father made a speech congratulating his son for hard work in which he had previously shown no interest and Kyouya made a speech thanking his father for non-existent support.

Machiko was wearing a red dress with what Haruhi considered far too many white frills and clutching her own usa-chan, called Plum, under one arm. She spent the entire night clutching onto her mother's designer skirt.

After the speeches were done, Haruhi found a comfortable chair and sat down. Surreptitiously taking off her high-heels in the process. She felt an insistent tug as Machiko said "up up." and held out her arms. She lifted Machiko onto her lap. It being well past bedtime by now the child, surrounded by mother-warmth, immediately fell asleep.

This was how Kyouya found them. The image that they formed together gave a now familiar tug at his heart. Not for the first time he wished he had the words and confidence to express what he felt. There were three things he knew for sure. Machiko, with his hair and her mother's eyes, was a little beauty who already had him wrapped around her tiny finger. He loved them both in a desperate way. And third, which was the most important, Haruhi did not love him back. These were the certainties in his life. And certainties were safe. So rather than making the confession that might pull apart the delicate happiness that he had managed to construct, he stepped forward and spoke the words that his sense of duty dictated. "You really should have hired a sitter for her tonight."

"And have her miss her father's graduation party?"

He smiled, "I know how you hate these things. I still have some schmoozing to do. Why don't you get Tachibana to take both of you home?"

Haruhi bit her lip. Even after three years she was still uncomfortable at these parties. But at the same time she did not want to leave Kyouya behind to face it alone. Not for the first time he seemed to be able to read her mind. "It's alright. I can face the mob on my own. You go home." He pulled a wry expression and the laughed a little to put her at ease.

"Well, if you really don't mind then I'll do that."

* * *

When Kyouya finally arrived home it was after 1 am. Machiko was likely in her cot but Haruhi – perhaps in an attempt to wait up for him – was lying slumped and snoring softly on the couch.

He was scared of revealing his feelings for her. Scared that she would simply reject him out of hand. But while she was asleep it was different. He could show his tender side then. Very gently, so as not to wake her, he lifted her into his arms and rested her head against his shoulder. He carried her to their shared bed where he tucked her in. He never slept as well as when he had her in his arms.

* * *

Having already put her ambitions on hold once because of a pregnancy, Haruhi refused to repeat the process until she was 'established in her career.' This was not great news for Kyouya who was feeling some family pressure to produce a son, but he understood how important her ambitions were to her and so he said nothing.

Having two intelligent and hard working parents, and no siblings, Machiko grew up self-sufficient. Outside of her ballet classes she did not socialise much with her peers. Even within these classes the serious little girl was focused and did not talk much. This made her proficient, but not very popular.

The only one she could really talk to was a now rather matted looking Plum. This most precious of her toys had more stiches in it than Machiko could count and a stained face from when she was three and, convinced that Plum was hungry, had tried to feed the doll her soup.

Yes, it was reasonable to say that Plum knew all of the overwhelming fears and intense joys that made up Machiko's life. But there were some nights where even Plum was not enough. Nights that were too dark, when the monsters under her bed were oh too real.

This was why, with Plum gripped tightly under one arm, the seven-year-old scurried out of her room and towards Kyouya's office. The door was slightly ajar and she could see light and hear the rhythmic sound of her father's typing from within. Tentatively she pushed the door open and stood, still shivering a little from fear, in the light.

"Tou-san?"

Kyouya kept his eyes glued to his laptop screen. "You should be in bed Ma-chan, it is very late."

"But tou-san, there's a monster in my cupboard and… and…" and the poor little girl began to cry.

Despite knowing that there was no monster the sound of his daughter's sobs aroused every protective instinct that Kyouya possessed. He had never wanted to be like his own father, who put work before family without fail, and his own work was forgotten as he hurried to where Machiko was standing.

He crouched down in front of her. One arm pulled her into a tight hug while the other hand rose up to stroke her hair. Part of him wished that Haruhi was not working late, as she was the one who usually comforted their daughter, but in her absence he would do his best to fill the roll.

When her tears had finally subsided into hiccoughs Kyouya pulled back a little and looked Machiko seriously in the face. "Will you feel better if I come and tell you a story?"

"Y-yes t-t-tousan."

He took his daughter by her small hand (no mean feat given the vast height difference) and walked with her back to the bedroom.

He switched the lamp on, tucked her in, and checked her cupboard to show her that there was nothing inside that was going to get her. "What story do you want?"

"Urashima Tarō!"

"Again?" It was her favourite fairy tale, "alright." He cleared his throat and began.

 _"Many years ago there was a young fisherman called Urashima Tarō. One day, while he was fishing, he saw some children on the beach torturing a small turtle. He chased off the children and placed the turtle back into the water._

 _"The next day while he was at sea in his boat a huge turtle approached him and said 'the small turtle you saved yesterday was Otohime; the daughter of the God of the ocean: Ryūgū-jō.' Urashima Tarō was told that Ryūgū-jō wanted to meet and thank him. The large turtle magically gave him gills and carried him to the bottom of the ocean. Down there was a beautiful palace where each side showed a different season. But nothing there was as beautiful as Otohime._

 _"He stayed down there for three days, but soon he became heartsick. He wished to go back to his village and see his aging mother. He asked permission to leave, which he was granted. Otohime said that she was sorry to see him go but wished him well. She gave him a tamatebako that she said would protect him from harm provided that it was never opened. He thanked her, took the box and jumped onto the back of the giant turtle that had brought him there. Soon he was back at the seashore._

 _"But when he arrived back in his village he was dismayed to see that everything had changed. Both his mother and his home were nowhere to be seen. He could not find any of his friends._

 _He asked everyone he met if they had ever heard of a man called Urashima Tarō. One old man said that his own grandfather had sometimes spoken of a man with that name. The man had disappeared at sea three hundred years ago._

 _It had been three hundred years that had passed; not three days as he had believed._

 _In his grief he absent-mindedly opened the box which he had been given. A cloud of white smoke came pouring out. As it touched him he began to age. His beard became long and white and his back bent painfully. From the sea, carried on the wind, came the sweet voice of Princess Otohime. She said sadly 'I told you not to open that box. In it was your old age.' And with that he died"_

At some point while he had been telling the story, Machiko had fallen asleep She was still snuffling from her earlier tears but she was also smiling just a little as she gripped one of his hands tightly in both of her own.

Smiling softly he brushed some stray hairs off of her face. But when he attempted to free his hand she whimpered and held on even tighter. He made a decision that his father and brothers probably would never have done (which may or may not have been part of his reason for making it) he put his daughter's happiness over his own work.

It was amazing what a change love had wrought on him in these years. Love for his wife, love for his daughter and love for the tenuous life he had built with them. Fragile because he lived in constant fear that Haruhi would get sick of him. That she would leave him and take Machiko. If that ever happened, he knew it would break him.

It was about an hour later that Haruhi came home. She toed off her shoes and removed her coat before walking to Machiko's bedroom to make sure that she was asleep. What she saw there was truly adorable.

Machiko was curled up in her bed. Next to her in a chair and slumped over the bed was Kyouya, also fast asleep. The sight warmed her heart. He looked so protective. Kyouya truly loved their daughter. He was a very good father… and husband.

And then it all came crashing down on her. How had she never noticed it before? It must have come creeping up on her so slowly that she hadn't seen it coming. This man, her husband, protected and supported her. He was unfailingly caring, there were a thousand examples of it over the last eight years that they had been married.

She was in love with him.

 **A/N: One more** ** _very_** **short chapter to come, and then the story will be finished. For your interest, the story that Kyouya tells Machiko is a real Japanese folk tale that I paraphrased. I could see Machiko having a liking for older stories rather than newer ones. Remember, all reviewers will get a sneak peek at the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Gees guys, I am so sorry that this is late. The only excuse I have is that I found myself having to move towns rather suddenly and I didn't have internet access. Here is the last (very short) chapter, more of a drabble really.**

 **Disclaimer: I wish I wish upon a fish.**

That Sunday it had been decided that they would take Machiko to the park with the playground that she so favoured. She was just like a commoner in how she loved running around in the dirt and making up games rather than playing alone with her far more intricate toys at home.

Right now that same little girl was tugging on Kyouya's pant-leg. "Tou-san, come lift me. I want to go on the monkey bars."

"I'll be right there Ma-chan." The little girl cheered and ran off. Kyouya rolled his eyes indulgently at Haruhi before standing to join their daughter.

Haruhi had been silent pretty much since they left the apartment. She had resolved to tell her husband how she felt but was waiting for the right moment. And she was scared.

She could not be blind to the facts. This was an arranged marriage, not a love match. There was a very real risk that he would simply rebuff her. An even more painful possibility was that he would say something kind but non-committal. If he did that she would have no idea where she stood with him. But she needed to do it soon, before her courage failed her. Either way she needed to know.

When Kyouya returned, she took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Kyouya, we need to talk." She felt like that was a good strong opening. She did not hear his breath catch.

This was it, he thought. It was the moment he had been dreading. She was bored of him. 'Please,' he prayed silently, 'at least let me spend time with Machiko. Don't cut me out of her life.'

Oblivious to his spiralling panic, Haruhi continued. "I understand if you feel differently, or you don't agree with me, but I realised something recently. I think I love you." Blunt as ever, the words fell out of her mouth without any ceremony.

"…What?"

Haruhi thought his incredulity was due to something other than shock and it made her nervous all over again. "I don't really know how it happened, or when, but it did. It's okay if you don't feel the same. I didn't say this to pressure you or anything."

Her rambling stopped when he placed a hand against her cheek and turned her to face him. There was nothing in his expression but an overwhelming tenderness that made her gasp. "I love you too. Have done for years."

"You have?" There was relief in her voice.

"How could I not?"

He kissed her then and she responded whole-heartedly. Both of them oblivious to Machiko going "ew! ew! ew!" in the background.

 **A/N: So... did you enjoy that. I hope you did. I know sneak peeks will no longer be a thing, but I still dearly love reviews and reply to every single one. So drop me a review please. One reviewer gave me an idea for a sequel, so I may try and write that. But for now this is the end. Love ya guys.**


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